Yeah... I'm gonna need you to come in at 3:30 on Saturday and get your ass pounded... great.
As a Syracuse football fan, I feel a lot like Peter Gibbons at the beginning of Office Space. At this point every day as an Orange fan is worse than the day before it, meaning that each time you read a post on this site, it was written on what was the worst day of my SU fandom.
Today this grew a little darker. While checking in on the Coaches Hot Seat (where Greggers is now #1 with a bullet) I noticed something that turned my stomach. Imagine a world in which we are competing with the following schools to land the next best young coach in college football:
- Tennessee
- Clemson
- Arizona
- Virginia
Sure, some of you may scoff at Virginia and Arizona, but go ask the closest 18-year old with an offer to play D1 football which geographic area he’d like to spend the next 4 years of his life: Salt City or Tucson. Case in point: a couple years ago, high-level tight end recruit Rob Gronkowski (of Syracuse blood no less!) chooses the desert over the hill. A coach may not have the same priority set as a recent high school graduate, but a coach does have as a priority going to a place that provides him the best opportunity to succeed. If the kids don’t want to play in your city, you’re in trouble. And frankly, we’re possibly in trouble when it comes to landing our next coach.
Say Skip Holtz gets calls from Clemson, Tennessee and Syracuse about job openings. Either way, he’ll be wearing orange next season. It probably won’t be ours, though. The same can be said for any number of coaches in relation to these jobs. Which is exactly why I am rooting for the Tigers, Vols, Wildcats, Cavaliers and any other team that may have a more attractive opening than us right now to win a lot of games.
We’ve got facilities, we’ve got tradition, we’ve got a few good players and we’ve got money. This should keep us above the fray of San Diego State, Washington, UTEP and other schools who may make a change. But make no mistake – the program looked worlds better to a new coach four years ago than it does right now.
To the rankings:
#1 – Skip Holtz, East Carolina (No Change)
The man did what he had to do and that’s keep winning. Skip, that whole thing with your dad being compared to bad oral… you know I’m kidding, right? Right??
#2 – Randy Edsall, Connecticut (NC)
That’s some defense they have at UConn this year. All that pass coverage and tackling really makes you jealous. Couple that with Donald Brown destroying people so far this season and (finally) a very efficient game by QB Tyler Lorenzen and it’s clear that this is a very well coached football team. They still strike me as an overacheiver. But Edsall’s group looks like they can make another run at the conference title this season. I’m seriously beginning to wonder if he’d even want to talk to Syracuse about the looming job opening.
#3 – Turner Gill, Buffalo (LW: 4)
Hey, I don’t care if they won on a Hail Mary. If we beat Temple on a Hail Mary this year you’d be pretty damn excited, sad as it is. There’s something to be said for finding a way to win the close ones. There’s even more to say for actually keeping them close in the first place.
#4 – Al Golden, Temple (LW: 3)
On the flip side, you’ve gotta practice this right? KNOCK THE BALL DOWN! Everyone loves a good Hail Mary now and again, but it’s seriously an inexcusable play to allow at this point. Let’s see – they need a touchdown, they need 35 yards to get it and there’s no time left. Hmm…. maybe he’s gonna lob the ball up in the air towards a receiver???? I know coach Golden can’t knock the ball down for them, but you’ve gotta have your team ready for the obvious.
Don't be cruel, Al.
#5 – Lane Kiffin, Oakland Raiders (LW: Unmentioned)
Yeah I’ll jump on the bandwagon of people entertaining the thought that this might happen. The USC connection has been talked about, but let me throw another connection out there that may hinder this. Isn’t Syracuse grad Al Davis a pretty big supporter of the football program? That’s the same Al Davis who was voted “Most Likely to Dispose of Lane Kiffin’s Unidentifiable Remains in the Pacific Ocean” at this spring’s NFL owners’ meetings. I’m just saying that the guy doesn’t appear as if he’ll be coming highly recommended from his current employer. Then again, how valid is the opinion of a man who signs Javon Walker to 6 years, $55 million and dresses like an Elvis impersonator?
Also considered: Butch Jones (Central Michigan); Bronco Mendenhall (BYU); Chris Peterson (Boise State); K.C. Keeler (Delaware); Dan Mullen (Florida – O. Coord.)
